§ 10. Mr. MALCOLMasked whether it is in accordance with international law and 1873 practice for His Majesty's Government to demand compensation for the unjust internment of British subjects in friendly countries; and, if so, whether he will take the necessary steps to secure such compensation for Messrs. Purcell, Service and Draycott, who were first imprisoned and subsequently acquitted and released from confinement in Switzerland?
§ Sir E. GREYThe fact that a person has been detained in prison while awaiting trial, and is subsequently acquitted, is not necessarily sufficient to justify a claim for compensation from the Government concerned. His Majesty's Government would not invariably admit or make such a claim, but the circumstances of the case to which the hon. Member refers, as far as they are at present known to me, appear to be such that it is possible that compensation might properly be claimed from the Swiss Government. I expect, however, to receive a full report on the case at an early date, when the matter will be carefully considered.